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In response to astrology, the total Moon illuminates not only the night sky but in addition awarenesses and lessons that we’d like to know about ourselves. Very similar to our yoga practice, astrology can provide us with opportunities for self-reflection, personal development, and intentional living.
The variety of lessons we may experience reflect the personality of the sign most influencing the Moon at that moment. On August 11, 2022, the total Moon will happen in Aquarius. The times leading as much as the total Moon are a time to settle right into a greater awareness of yourself so that you would be able to more easily hear and heed the insights out of your inner consciousness.
A set air sign, Aquarius is intuitive, progressive, and eccentric. Aquarius challenges us to lift our own vibrational energy in order that we are able to bring about whatever change is vital as individuals and as a society. This can be a time to embrace your inner rebel, acknowledge your eccentricities, query your establishment, and show up as your most authentic and outrageous self.
A cool and not-quite-conventional yoga practice full of intentional movement can provide help to explore this vibe. Remind yourself that you would be able to break out of patterns by bringing easy variations to common standing poses. Allow yourself the possibility to play with a spirited and twisty peak pose. And end your practice with some meditative moments that invite self-awareness and awaken your ajna chakra (third eye). It’s possible you’ll find that you just now not hold back from embracing probably the most authentic expression of yourself.
A 30-minute yoga practice for the total Moon in Aquarius
Warm-up
Settle into Balasana (Child’s Pose). Take your knees as wide as your mat, sit back in your heels, and stretch your arms in front of you. Rest your brow on the mat and shut your eyes. Take a couple of deep breaths here. Give yourself a while to reach into your body and your practice as you start to cultivate your inner awareness.
From Child’s Pose, slowly come to Tabletop. Take any movement here that you just like. It’s possible you’ll decide to arch and curve in Cat and Cow, bend backward and forward, or circle your hips
From Tabletop, lift your hips up and back as you come into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Stay here for a couple of breaths when you root through your palms. Inhale and lift your right leg straight up behind you in Three-Legged Dog. Lengthen through your back body and reach through your toes. Bend your lifted knee, open your body to the correct, and stack your hips in order that your foot reaches toward the left side of the mat. Try to maintain your shoulders as parallel to the ground as possible. Unwind and lower your foot to the mat. Repeat on the opposite side.
From Down Dog, inhale as you shift forward to Plank. Exhale as you slowly lower yourself all of the strategy to the mat. Bring your hands beneath your shoulders, lift your chest, and are available into Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose). Lower your chest, press back up into Plank, and lift your hips to bring yourself back to Downward-Facing Dog.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Adho Mukha Svanasana Variation (Twisted Downward-Facing Dog)
From Down Dog, walk your hands about halfway back toward your feet. Shift your weight into your left hand and reach your right hand to the periphery of your left ankle. Flippantly grasp your ankle and twist your upper body toward the left. It’s possible you’ll gaze under your left arm. As you breathe, feel the expansion in between your ribs and across your back body. Release, slowly unwind, and produce your right hand back to the mat. Repeat on the opposite side.
Walk your Downward-Facing Dog out to Plank and exhale as you lower yourself halfway to Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Staff Pose) or all of the strategy to the mat. Inhale and lift to Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog. Exhale as you tuck your toes and lift yourself back to Downward-Facing Dog. Take a breath here and settle into your body.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Padangustasana (Big Toe Pose)
From Downward-Facing Dog, exhale, gaze forward and step to the front of the mat in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend). Let your head and arms hang toward the mat and permit all the things to loosen up. Use your peace fingers on each hand to grip your big toes and, as you exhale, gently pull your chest toward your thighs, release the highest of your head toward the mat, and let your elbows bend out to the perimeters in Padangustasana. Keep your shoulders comfortable and bend your knees if it is advisable. Proceed to deepen into your breath. Release your neck by shaking your head no and nodding yes. Take some big open-mouth exhales. Cultivate the third eye that Aquarius is so beautifully known for.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Urdhva Hastasana Variation (Upward Salute)
From Padanghustasana, gently release your grip and lift your torso to seek out Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Half Forward Bend). Bring your hands to your hips and slowly rise to standing. Reach your hands to the sky in Urdhva Hastasana. Send your hips to the left and reach your hands to the correct to make the form of a crescent Moon. Keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet. Come back to center and switch sides. Come back to center and, as you exhale, fall forward into Standing Forward Bend.
From Standing Forward Bend, bring your hands to the mat and step or jump back to Plank. Lift your hips to Downward-Facing Dog or lower yourself halfway or all of the strategy to the mat and lift to Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog before you tuck your toes and lift to Down Dog. Take a breath here.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1 Pose)
From Down Dog, inhale as you lift your right leg high, and exhale as you step forward and place your foot next to your right hand. Find the mat along with your back heel and square your hips to the front of the mat. Lift your torso and produce your arms alongside your ears. Bend your front knee and see when you can lift your back thigh further away from the mat as you come into Warrior 1. Take your gaze forward with strength and determination. Root right down to stand up.
Lower your hands to the mat and step back to Plank Pose. Either lift yourself on to Down Dog or take yourself through a vinyasa—Chaturanga or all of the strategy to the mat, then Cobra or Up Dog before you come to Down Dog. Take a couple of breaths in Down Dog to settle. Notice how movement can provide help to clear your mind and find spaciousness. Repeat Warrior 1 in your left side.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Utkata Konasana (Goddess Pose)
From Down Dog, inhale as you look forward toward your fingertips and step to the front of the mat to come back right into a forward fold. Inhale and lift halfway with a flat back. Exhale and produce your chest back toward your thighs. Root down through your feet, sweep your arms out to the side, and slowly rise to standing along with your arms overhead. Bring your hands to Anjali Mudra at your heart .
Step your left foot back and switch to face the long side of the mat. Turn your heels barely in and your toes barely out. Inhale and reach your hands as much as the sky and reach up and out through your fingertips. As you exhale, bend your knees, guiding them outward to align along with your toes in Goddess Pose. Bring your hands to your hips or the mat and find some organic movement here. Move fluidly along with your breath. Don’t be afraid to get somewhat weird with it. Possibly you reach right down to touch the ground. Possibly your arms stretch out in front of you. Possibly you inhale to stretch up and out after which exhale to take a seat low. Do whatever feels organic in your body as you progress along with your breath.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2 Pose)
From Goddess, straighten each your legs and switch your right foot fully toward the front of the mat. Stretch each of your arms out long, parallel to the ground, and check out to center your shoulders over your hips. Bend your right knee and are available into Warrior 2. Gaze forward over your right fingertips with strength and determination. Strengthen your heart, strengthen your legs.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Shanti Virabhadrasana (Peaceful or Reverse Warrior) Variation
From Warrior 2, turn your right palm as much as face the sky as you lean back, extending out of your right hip. Reach your left hand down your back thigh and reach your right fingertips toward the back of your mat, coming into Peaceful or Reverse Warrior.
From here, straighten your front leg. Keep yourself rooted through your feet and lengthen along your right side body. Breathe.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Utthita Trikonasana (Prolonged Triangle Pose)
From Peaceful or Reverse Warrior, straighten your front leg and pause. Exhale as you reach forward along with your right arm and shift your hips toward the back of the mat. Reach down along with your right hand and permit it to rest calmly in your thigh, your shin, a block, or the ground. Open your torso to the correct, attempt to stack your shoulders, and don’t collapse through your left side body. Reach your left arm toward the sky in Triangle Pose. Turn your gaze to the mat, straight ahead, or up toward your left hand.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose or Intense Side Stretch)
From Triangle, lower your left hand to the mat as you pivot onto the ball of your left foot and produce your chest to face the mat. Step your back foot forward several inches. Keep each feet flat on the ground as you inhale, lengthen through your chest, and draw your hips back. Bring your hands to your shins, blocks, or Anjali Mudra in Pyramid Pose. Exhale and release your nose toward your knee and deal with relaxing the back of your front leg. If it is advisable round your back body barely, shorten your stance more, or bend your front knee, that’s perfectly okay. Wherever you go within the pose, allow your breath to be full and intentional.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Camatkarasana (Wild Thing)
From Pyramid, step back to Downward-Facing Dog. Lift your right leg straight behind you in Three-Legged Dog. Bend your knee and stack your hips, reaching your toes toward the left as you probably did earlier within the practice. Stay here or, if you must try Wild Thing, keep pivoting in your left foot and reach your right toes all the way in which back and produce them to the mat behind you. Keep your left leg straight. Take a full breath and reach your right hand alongside your ear and arch your back. Take up space. Turn your gaze toward your right hand or drop it toward the mat.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Revolved or Twisted Wild Thing
From Wild Thing, unwind to bring your right hand right down to the mat and lift your right leg straight behind you in Three-Legged Dog. Begin to shift your shoulders forward over your wrists into Plank Pose as you bend your right knee and draw it toward your chest. Then twist your torso and hips to increase your right leg straight beneath you toward the left. Rest the periphery of your foot on the mat. Shift all of your weight into your right hand and reach your left hand straight up toward the sky. Unwind as you lower your left hand to the mat and pull your right leg back to Three-Legged Dog. Lower your foot back to the mat and take a breath (or several!) in Down Dog.
Repeat the above sequence on the other side, starting with Goddess Pose.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Come to take a seat on the mat. Bend your knees, bring the soles of your feet together, and let your knees open wide. Draw your right foot near your body and thread it underneath your left thigh until your right heel rests alongside your left hip. Then cross your left leg over your right. Attempt to wiggle your left heel toward your right hip and stack your knees. In case your hips are tight, you possibly can place a block in between your knees or underneath your seat. Reach your right arm up, bend your elbow, and reach your fingertips down the nape of your neck. Bend your left arm behind you and reach your fingertips up toward your right hand. Either grasp the fingers or use a strap, belt, or towel to provide help to close the gap between your hands. Lengthen your elbows away from each other. Close your eyes and take 10 full breaths in Gomukhasana. As you exhale, imagine your energy expanding and radiating out around you. While you’re ready, slowly unwind and stretch your legs out long or bend your knees and take them side to side like windshield wipers. Repeat on the opposite side.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand)
Lie down in your back and produce your knees toward your chest. Massage your back by rocking side to side or in small circles on the mat, or take every other movement that is asking to you. Lower your feet to the mat. Bring your arms alongside your body and roll your shoulder blades beneath you. Press your palms onto the mat, draw your knees toward your chest, and contract your abs to lift your hips off the mat. Bring your hands to support your low back, fingers pointing toward your hips. Keep your elbows pointing forward. You’ll feel a stretch along your back but you shouldn’t feel any weight in your neck; it ought to be distributed across your upper back. Reach your legs straight up toward the ceiling in Shoulderstand.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Halasana (Plow Pose)
From Shoulderstand, keep your legs straight as you begin to achieve your toes toward the mat behind your head. Lower your legs and check out to the touch your toes down behind you along with your legs straight or bend your knees and allow them to frame your face in Plow Pose. Gently press the back of your head into the mat to alleviate pressure in your neck. Don’t tuck your chin. Release your hands out of your lower back, bring your arms back alongside your body, and press your palms to the mat to take pressure off your neck. As you breathe, feel your back body expand and contract. Find softness anywhere you possibly can.
While you’re ready to come back out of the pose, bring your hands back to your low back for support and slowly roll yourself right down to the mat, one vertebrae at a time until you might be fully prolonged in your back. Stay here for not less than 10 breaths. Bend your knees, bring your feet to the mat, and take some windshield wipers.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Stretch yourself out on the mat once more. Release your arms by your sides and let your heels reach for the far corner edges of the mat. Let all of your limbs be heavy and release any hold you had in your breath. Stay still and rest in Savasana for 4-10 minutes.
(Photo: Sierra Vandervort)
While you’re ready, slowly find movement. Draw your knees back in toward your chest and ease onto one side. Take on a regular basis it is advisable find your way back to a cross-legged seat. Take your palms together or every other mudra you like and pause before you make your way back into life.
About our contributor
Sierra Vandervort is a author, modern mystic, and community builder. She’s been practicing yoga for nearly a decade and was certified to show in 2018. Sierra’s The Mystic Members Club helps women deepen their spiritual studies, feel powerful, and construct a community of like-minded souls. She likes to guide them to their witchy side by helping them embrace the boldness and abundance they deserve. She’s also an avid traveller, dancer, author, and music lover. You’ll find her at thelocalmystic.com, on Instagram @thelocalmystic, and on YouTube.